Grain-separator



(No Model.)

J. L. OWENS.

GRAIN SBPARATOR.

No. 389,002. Patented Sept. 4, 1888,

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u@ Sra'rns @MTE JOHB.Tr L. OWENS, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

GRAIN-Seminaren.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,002, dated September 4, 1888.

Application filed March 25, 1887. Serial No. 232,370. (No model.)

To all whom, it 11e-ty concern.'

Be it known that I, Jenn L. Owens, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneap olis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain Separatore, of which the following is a specilieation.

My invention relates to machines for sepa` rating impurities from wheat; and it consists in certain improvements in the screens and the combination of aprons therewith, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a central longitudinal sectional View of a machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing a portion of the screen for separating oats. Fig. 8 is a sectional view of the same on the line X X of Fig. 2, showing also a portion ofthe endless apron in its position over the screen. Fig. 4 is a detail of a portion of the screen-plate, showing one of the perforations enlarged. Fie. 5 is a sectional View of the same on the line Y Y of Fig. a, and Fig. 6 is a detail of one of the tension-adj usting devices for the endless aprons and its connections.

The machine used for illust-rating the iinprovements contains the ordinary winnowing devices in its upper portions,and the grain as it descends from the sieves c c' c2 of the shoe C through the slot c3 is directed by the feedboard c* to the head of a screen, c, that has perforations of a size and shape adapted to separate the longer grains-such as oats-from the wheat, and the screen is secured by its frame e to the posts of the machine-frame in position sloping toward the rear end of the machine. This screen is made of arched forni, with the curvature somewhat shorter near the head and gradually lengthening toward the foot thereof, about as shown in the drawings. An endless apron,f, is arranged over the screen e, with the rollers g, upon which it runs,set close tothe surface ofthe inclined ends ofthe screen, so as to press the apron to rubbing Contact therewith at those points and cause the entire intermediate lower side of the apron to rub upon the screenlsurface. The curvature ofthe screen toward the head being higher above the base-plane of the rollers than toward the foot, the apron will rub the screen with a greater pressure near the liead,where in operation the supply of grain on the screen is greatest, and with a decreasing pressure on the lower portion, Where the quantity of grain to he operated on is constantly diminishing. Thus the frictional contact of the apron upon the screen is proportioned to the work required at successive points, and a more effectual separation is accomplished than could otherwise be effected.

The material of the apron should be a fabric of somewhat rough texture-as, for example, Brussels carpet-that it may be adapted to engage the berries of grain, especially the oats, and sweep them along the screen toward the rear end. The grain fed onto the head of the screen c is thus carried along the surface thereof by the friction of the apron, the wheat falling through the apertures while the oats are earried over the lower end, whence they pass into the trough h and away from the machine.

A scraper, z', of rubber, leather, or other snitable material, is attached to a cross-piece, a, and in contact with the apronj' at its lower cnd,to prevent oats or other material that may adhere to the apron from being carried around and back to the screen.

Beneath the screen e, at both the sides and lower end, are suitable cant-boards, af, for directing the descending grain inward to the lower revolving apron.

The apron k, which is on rollers y, has crossvstrips It' at proper intervals for elevating the grain deposited upon it to the head of the lower screen, m, which screen is secured by its frame m to the maehinefraxnc in suitablydnclined position. The meshes of the screen on. should be of a proper size to screen out cockle and other particles smaller than sound wheat. The screen may be set at sufficient inclination to cause the grain to descend over ils surface by gravity and independently of the apron action, as shown in Fig. l; or the screen and apron may be so arranged as to cause the slats 7c to retard or sweep forward the grain, according to the inclination of the screen.

The apron-rollers and fan are run and the shoe vibrated by means of a hand-crank for turning a driving-pulley on the spindle of the upper roller, g. A belt connects this pulley IOC with a pulley on the fan-shaft, and a belt, j, (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) connects pulleys on the spindles of the rollers g g at the side of the machine opposite the crank for operating the lower apron, k, and the shoe C is vibra-ted from the fan in any well-known manner. The rollers for the apronsf and lc have spindles,which have their bearingsin slots s s in the side boards, a2 a3, secured to the inside of the posts A of the machine. To adjust the tension of the aprons,there are provided at the lower slots, s, the lever devices N. This tension-adjusting device N is composed of a bar,

n, having a half-round sleeve, a', on its up' from which the screen e is formed has apertures w cut in nearly circular form, leaving uncut segmental portions w', and these segmental portions are then bent downward, forming somewhat V-shaped depressions w2,widen ing and sloping to the perforations, and the screen being used in connection with an apron in rubbing contact therewith, and moving toward the rear end thereof, the oats, being longer than the perforations,will be carried over them, while the grains of wheat, being shorter, will be assisted in entering the perforations by-having their ends slide into the inclined depres` sions wz, causing the bodies of the grain to enter the perforations and by their weight carry them backward through the opening.

Havingdescribed myinvention,whatI claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a grainseparator, the combination, with a screen having a curvature gradually decreasing from head to foot, of a revolving endless apron arranged with its entire lower side in rubbing contact therewith and adapted to engage oats and carry them onward, substantiall y as set forth.

2. In a grain -separator, a screen having a curvature gradually decreasing from head to foot and its perforations being of circular form, with uncut segmental portions at the lower sides bent down\vard,forining depressions sloping to the perforations, in combination with a revolving endless apron in rubbing contact therewith and adapted to engage oats and carry them forward, substantially as set forth.

JOHN L. OWENS.

Witnesses:

A. HUMPHREYS, I). H. GUNCKEL. 

